Spotlight on: Jane Anson

We were delighted to host Jane Anson at the Farr Vintners office on 16th May 2022. WIW LDN’s Hannah Van Susteren led the discussion on her foray into wine journalism, how she established herself as one of the world’s pre-eminent experts on Bordeaux, and her outlook on Bordeaux’s future.

Jane also talked about how she built her career and her brand, giving us advice on having a specialism, and that “the harder you work, the luckier you get”. She bootstrapped her publication of “Bordeaux Legends, a history of the 1855 First Growth wines” which elevated her profile as an authority on the region. She discussed the generosity of each chateaux in letting her into their inner sanctums, which led her to be Bordeaux correspondent for Decanter Magazine. The Covid pandemic, which threw the industry and wine journalism for a loop, provided the impetus for her to strike out by herself and establish her own website (janeanson.com) and consultancy, which has become successful and profitable within its first year. Jane also created a mentorship scheme, bringing young wine trade members to Bordeaux to meet key people in the industry and have a first-hand experience tasting wines at the chateaux.

Speaking about her newest book, ‘Inside Bordeaux’, she talked about new discoveries about the region, primarily the insights into terroir mapping and sustainability. Jane said that to keep Bordeaux relevant for the next generations she spoke about the need to keep being open-minded and outward looking.

Thank you so much to Jane for meeting with us, and to Farr Vintners for your generosity hosting us and supporting women in wine!